In 1981, Internationally-known ballerina, Gelsey Kirkland, appeared at the theatre in a benefit performance for the Colorado Ballet. For the benefit Gala she performed Giselle with Patrick Bissell.
While the specifics of the event are not recorded, it is likely that Gelsey’s appearance was in-part due to the fact that her former-step-mother and half-brother — Haila Stoddard and Christopher Kirkland — managed the Elitch Theatre from 1972 to 1987.
Haila Stoddard was married to Gelsey Kirkland’s father, Jack Kirkland, and Haila and Jack were the parents of Christopher Kirkland.
[Source: Colorado Ballet website: https://coloradoballet.org/Repertoire]
A native of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Gelsey came to American Ballet Theatre in the Fall of 1974 as Principal Ballerina. She trained entirely at the School of American Ballet, where she gained early stage experience dancing children’s roles in The Nut-cracker and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She joined New York City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 1968, was promoted to Soloist in 1970, and to Principal Dancer in 1972. Miss Kirkland has had many of America’s major choreographers create new ballets for her. When she was just seventeen, George Balanchine set a new production of Firebird for her. She also created roles in Jerome Robbins’ The Goldberg Variations, An Evening’s Waltzes, Four Bagatelles, and Scherzo Fantastique, John Clifford’s Stravinsky Symphony in C and Tchaikovsky Suite #1, and John Taras’ Song of the Nightingale. Her television credits include the starring role in the NBC Christmas special of Mikhail Baryshnikov’s production of The Nutcracker, and PBS “Live From Lincoln Center” in Theme and Variations, both opposite Mr. Baryshnikov. In 1980, Miss Kirkland appeared as Juliet in John Cranko’s full-length production of Romeo and Juliet with the Stuttgart Ballet, as well as Kenneth MacMillan’s version of the same work with The Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, London, to extraordinary public and critical acclaim.
[Source: 1981 Elitch Theatre Program]
Seasons at the Theatre
- 1981
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Notable Roles, Awards, and Other Work:
Elitch Theatre Connections:
Wikipedia Link:
